Mikko Rantanen has shown exactly why Dallas was willing to pay a hefty price to acquire him.

The race for the two wild-card playoff spots in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is full of surprises.

Mikko Rantanen is heading back to the Western Conference.

The defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers made their first big move ahead of the NHL trade deadline by acquiring hard-nosed forward Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins.

The NHLPA will form an advisory committee to help hockey players better understand chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the damage that concussions can do to the brain.

Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Brandt Clarke scored on a breakaway with 27 seconds left in overtime for his first career goal and the Los Angeles Kings rallied to beat the slumping Boston Bruins 5-4.

Patrice Bergeron got his 1,000th career point with a second-period assist and the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 for their seventh straight win.

The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers were to play in an empty Bell Centre on Thursday night due to a spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases.

Boston Bruins' Brandon Carlo is helped off the ice after an injury in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Friday, March 5, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON – Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was released from the hospital Saturday after spending the night following a head hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Later Saturday, Wilson was suspended for seven games by the NHL without pay after an Zoom hearing to discuss the incident. Carlo left Friday night's game against the Capitals after Wilson hit him late in the first period, smashing his head into the glass with his hands and stick. Boston's Trent Frederic and Jarred Tinordi both fought Wilson later in the game, which the Bruins won 5-1.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) checks Boston Bruins right wing Chris Wagner (14) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)NEW YORK – Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Thursday for spearing Boston Bruins rookie Trent Frederic, an amount that is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. Ovechkin was given a minor penalty for slashing and Frederic one for cross-checking on the play. Bruins teammates credited Frederic for helping spark a comeback victory in that game. The respect I give him is just by playing him hard.”AdThe Capitals had the day off Thursday.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli))STATELINE, Nev. – After going through the handshake line following a lopsided win, the Boston Bruins all gathered at center ice for one last team photo. It truly was a picture-perfect day for the Bruins at Lake Tahoe. The Bruins' high level of play matched the picturesque setting with the lake and snow-covered mountains in the background. The Flyers responded with two goals and took the lead when Couturier came out of the penalty box and took advantage of McAvoy’s broken stick. “In the second period, a couple of shifts got away from us,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said.

Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal with the bench during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington. Buoyed by their top scorer's first two goals of the season and a big rookie's fight against one of the toughest players in hockey, the Bruins erased a three-goal deficit to beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Monday night. “In the box, I was like a little kid in there just jumping around when we scored,” Frederic said. The Capitals had front-row seats for Pastrnak's breakout performance in his second game after undergoing offseason hip surgery. Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara scored in his second game against his old team.